Newton Mearns teen lands place on performing arts course

John A. MacInnes

An aspiring actress from Newton Mearns has taken a big step towards her dream career by gaining a place at one of the UK’s leading performing arts academies.

Nineteen-year-old Claudia Lang, a former pupil of Glasgow Academy, has landed a place on the full-time Acting Diploma course at The MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh and will begin training in September to be a professional performer.

Claudia impressed staff at The Academy in an intensive audition and she was delighted when, only days later, she received an acceptance that allows her to remain in Scotland while studying.

Recent graduates of The MGA Academy include Disney film star Thomas Doherty (The Lodge, Descendents 2), West End stars Fergal McGoff (Matilda, Mamma Mia and The Bodyguard) and Rhiannon Chesterman (Mrs Henderson Presents and Grease).

Claudia began acting when she was only six years old and honed her skills by taking classes with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, but it wasn’t until she was 15 that she decided to pursue a career as a performer.

This summer, she will begin her studies at the only full-time professional training academy in Scotland to be awarded accreditation by CDET, the UK’s quality assurance and membership body for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre industries.

Claudia said: “I’ve attended lots of auditions in the past and have always found them to be quite intimidating but, as soon as I arrived at The Academy, I felt at ease as there was such a welcoming atmosphere. During my audition, I performed two completely different monologues as I wanted to challenge myself and show my emotional range.

“When I got the letter offering me a place, I was over the moon. My parents and I opened it together and instantly felt happy and relieved. I think it’s great that a place like The MGA Academy exists in Scotland as it’s so important that people are able to access this type of training outside of London as not everyone wants to move there to train.”

The Academy is currently accepting applications for places on three-year full-time training courses starting in September 2017. Auditions are set to be held on June 11.